Detectives hope items from the grave help identify John Doe

Detectives have released photos of items found October 30 in the shallow Piercy grave of a man now dubbed John Doe.

The T-shirt, a rusty pocket knife, a ProWing athletic shoe, and long underwear pants were found in the gravesite, and detectives are hoping someone will recognize them and lead to identification of the victim.

From the remains recovered in the shallow grave, a Chico State University forensic anthropologist determined John Doe was a man between the age of 25 and 45 with a height of between 5 feet 11 inches and 6 feet 5 inches tall.

Detectives believe the man was the victim of a homicide, but no cause of death has been identified.

These items and the skeletal remains were discovered by kayakers on an outing on the Eel River near the 83000 block of Highway 271.

There is anecdotal evidence from the family that discovered the body that the remains were buried a few years before.

The T-shirt from the grave has a saying on it "Before I started working here I drank, smoked, and used foul language for no reason at all. But thanks to this job, I now have a reason."

To help refine the man's identity, detectives have asked the California Department of Justice to extract DNA from the remains. Detectives hope this can help them learn the man's identity; allow them to bring closure to his family, and bring his killer to justice.

Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact the Sheriff's Office Tip-Line by calling 234-2100.